Why does everyone want San Antonio to "boom"? (Houston: leasing, home builder)

[chisco34]

I am asking this from the most sincere place. I truly want feedback so I can better understand. Why does everyone want San Antonio to "boom", "take-off", "expand", etc.? I have lived in San Antonio since I was in second grade, about 20 years. I remember driving down 1604 towards I-10 and passing nothing but 281 and a church. I remember seeing the hill country all around me pretty much everywhere I went. I remember hearing my parents saying "It's a city that doesn't feel like a city". Why does everyone want this to change so bad? Why does everyone want development, expansion, housing, etc. to take over San Antonio? I for one feel sad when I see yet another home builder sign, mixed use development leasing advertisement, etc. What is wrong with keeping San Antonio, well, just San Antonio?

[Paka]

No, but it is inevitable...the growth is something I think is here to stay...like it or not.

[AnthonySA]

I agree with Paka, growth is inevitable. The best solution given the inevitability is to grow smart.

That is, grow the best way to ensure great infrastructure, commercer, and livability without losing the identity that makes San Antonio so special.

[SpoiledWife]

Growth, to me, signifies wealth, happiness, and stability.

If a city is growing, it generally means the money is flowing well and in turn, people are happy and the city is stable.

Growth offers a "freshness" to our area.

New homes, new people, new jobs, new opportunities, new money, new everything.

Change is a good thing, in my opinion.

I say, embrace it and let things happen.

If in the end, San Antonio is not meant to be another Houston or Dallas, then so be it. But do not try and intentionally stunt the growth of this city just for petty personal reasons and memories of what used to be.

[The Man in SATX]

I say play Sim City and you will answer your own question

[oldmanshirt]

My question to you, Chisco, is why do you not want SA to grow? If you have a child, do you really want them to stay a toddler their whole life, or 6, or 10, or 12 years old? If you really loved them, you'd want them to realize their full potential, wouldn't you?

The SA you remember became that way because it grew from a dusty outpost 250 years ago into a full-fledged city. It wasn't always the way you remember it, it had to grow into that. Why can't you let it grow into somebody else's San Antonio so that they in turn can have fond memories?

[Kofi713]

Originally Posted by AnthonySA

I agree with Paka, growth is inevitable. The best solution given the inevitability is to grow smart.

That is, grow the best way to ensure great infrastructure, commercer, and livability without losing the identity that makes San Antonio so special.

SA needs to get commuter rail, light rail, bus-rapid transit, SOMETHING! It is lacking behind the other three Texas metros right now.

Light rail in San Antonio would be awesome.

[Bo]

I'd like to see growth happen in a well-managed, thoughtful and coordinated fashion. When development projects are rubber-stamped, we end up with issues like water systems that can't deliver water dependably in drought conditions and highways that lack the capacity to support the traffic of a daily commute.

[Chaka]

I totally get what you're saying. Growing up in LA, I'm very sad to see no more orange groves, more traffic, ugly developments and billboards everywhere.

I see the same in SA....I support growth, but smart growth. Planned growth, not this willy nilly pull up all the trees plunk down 500 houses and oh yeah, guess we need another road now.... I don't think SA is growing smartly, partly because it is booming, rather than following a steady growth.

[traficdogn]

Originally Posted by chisco34

Why does everyone want this to change so bad? Why does everyone want development, expansion, housing, etc. to take over San Antonio?

Not everyone wants San Antonio to "boom". Especially when we reach a point where we are shutting down schools where children can walk to, and opening schools where children live so far they must be bussed.